Ever wondered why you connect to melodies and lyrics differently? Why does listening to music brightens your mood and why sometimes, it makes you sad? Why should you find your music and flow because it feeds your soul?
It is no coincidence that it is an integral part of human existence and survival. A force of life. Reasons for creating music include ceremonial purposes, recreational purposes, and artistic expression. Music exerts a powerful influence on human beings.
Here’s why:
The human body system is made up of various subsystems and each functions a little more different from the other. These systems often enjoy certain enhancements functions consequent to the advent of music as far back as human existence could go. The human brain and nervous systems for a start are hard-wired or programmed to distinguish music from noise and to respond to rhythms and repetitions, tones and tunes. This especially can be seen in recent health discovery, that the circulatory and hormonal systems are the most influenced systems when music is involved.
For the circulatory system, research has shown that blood flows more easily when music is played. It, therefore, provides therapeutic healing also as it aids the reduction of heart rate and lowers blood pressure. For the hormonal systems, music has been shown to effectively decrease cortisol (stress hormone) levels and increase serotonin and endorphin levels in the blood. It inadvertently elevates mood many a time. Music can boost the brain’s production of the hormone dopamine. Also, listening to and playing music increases the body’s production of the antibody immunoglobulin A and natural killer cells (the cells that attack invading viruses and boost the immune system’s effectiveness).
More so, the psychological effect of music (mood dictation, energy and motive driver, etc) contributes to human wellbeing.
Research shows that music can influence us a lot. Listening to music can have the following good effects on human wellbeing in that it can:
- Reduce anxiety
- Improve sleep quality
- Improve mood
- Improve mental alertness
- Improve blood flow in ways similar to statins
- Boost motivation and energy
Give the body and brain a workout: Because of its rhythmic and repetitive aspects, music engages the neocortex of the brain, which calms and reduces impulsivity
Promote emotional health: Music they say is food for the soul. Humans are born poetic so deeply that it gives their lives a rhythm of its own. It is only natural that music will be right there, enhancing the tunes of human lives by keeping it in touch with nature, beauty and harmony in a very dynamic world.
Impact illness: From helping in the recovery of motor and cognitive function in stroke patients, it has a reducing effect on depression patients and those suffering from dementia. It also helps surgery patients to experience less pain and heal faster.
Improve productivity and individual perception of the world: Music is capable of making us feel emotions, think, dream, have fun and create.
Increase relaxation: Happy, upbeat music can cause the brain to produce chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which evoke feelings of joy, whereas calming music can relax the mind and the body.
Trigger powerful positive emotions: A new study has identified that if specific music evokes personal memories, these songs have the power to elicit stronger positive emotions than other stimuli.
Affect one’s behaviour: The sound environment can affect human perception, and human perception can influence behaviour in both indoor and outdoor space
Aid child development: Music ignites all areas of child development and skills for school readiness, including intellectual, social-emotional, motor, language, and overall literacy. It helps the body and the mind work together
Listening to music can also have the following bad effects on human wellbeing in that it can:
Increase aggressive thoughts, or encourage crime: music often matches or alters mood. While there are benefits to matching music to moods, it can potentially trap one in a depressive, angry or anxious state
Trigger bad memories: music is second only to smell in its ability to incite unwanted memories
- Aid hearing loss
- Be distracting
- Be lucratively difficult
- Be a nuisance to people
- Aid noise pollution
- Aid bad decision making
Similarly, music can have a profound effect on individuals. Growing research shows that music and health are interwoven. Music is an important outlet for the general healing of many illnesses. Its expressive, emotional nature can help one become more self-aware and aid emotions that are possibly suppressive. It thus makes one healthier.
Chizaram D. Ezugwu
